The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not represent the views of Her Campus FSU.
People magazine recently announced that Blake Shelton is their 2017 Sexiest Man Alive. Many are shocked and confused by this decision, arguing that there are other celebrities that would have been a better choice. The country singer and The Voice coach was humble in his response to the news, saying that “Y’all must be running out of people.” I can’t say I understand the magazine’s choice this year myself, but to each their own.
The internet, specifically Twitter users, are having a field day with roasting the 41–year–old over his win. Some Twitter users questioned if all the attractive celebrities died or disappeared overnight, while others are claiming that Shelton’s win is inspirational, and if this man can win Sexiest Man Alive, they can accomplish anything. My personal favorite Tweet, by Twitter user @meakoopa, gives five examples of things that Blake Shelton is not the sexiest of:
Courtesy: Twitter
Other Twitter users compared Shelton’s win to the 2016 Presidential election, where Hillary Clinton won the popular vote and Donald Trump won the electoral vote. Many believed actor Idris Elba should have received the award, and took their frustrations out on the Internet, even though no voting from fans goes into the selection of People’s Sexiest Man Alive.
Courtesy: Twitter
Past winners of this “prestigious” award include Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson in 2016, Channing Tatum in 2012, and Ryan Reynolds in 2010. It’s pretty obvious to some that Shelton doesn’t look like the other typical winners of this award. His girlfriend of two years and fellow The Voice coach, Gwen Stefani, however, had nothing but support and loving words for his win, saying that external appearances aren’t the only thing that makes a person “sexy.” Stefani said “It’s all about the heart, and he has that big ol’ gigantic heart in there, so he’s quite an attractive human. I’m not the only one that thinks it!”
Some have realized that the only two musicians to win People’s Sexiest Man Alive award, Blake Shelton and Adam Levine (2013) are both coaches on The Voice and good friends. Though the two are friends, the rivalry between them on the show is present in real life too — Blake told People Magazine about how excited he was to rub his win in Levine’s face. Levine, the lead singer of Maroon 5, told Shelton how proud he was of him, and that he is “only friends with other SMAs.”
Courtesy: Bustle
Along with the disproval of Shelton’s looks, many have expressed concern over People‘s choice due to homophobic and Islamophobic comments he has made or tweeted in the past. Shelton’s anti-gay tweets have resurfaced, including one reading, “Question for my gay followers… Are skittles y’all’s favorite candy?”
Although there is controversy surrounding People magazine’s selection of Blake Shelton as 2017’s Sexiest Man Alive, we can always hold out hope for 2018, and maybe, just maybe, we will receive an unproblematic SMA.